


Five little fillies

by KS_Claw



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Blacksand Week 2, F/M, Genderbending, fairytale AU, there was an attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2013-11-25
Packaged: 2018-01-02 15:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KS_Claw/pseuds/KS_Claw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 7 for Blacksand week 2: No Such Thing as a Guilty Pleasure: Whatever you like. Even if it’s weird, especially if it’s weird. Even if it’s kind of a silly trope by now. (Otherwise known as: Gretchen wants to write Sandy with wings so everyone else had better join in with their own personal nonsense.) Or, the author attempts to write a fairytale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five little fillies

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s notes: An attempt at something fairytale-ish with genderbent!Pitch, for the last prompt for blacksand week. I like how it turned out. I originally called it “five little mares”, when I realized that baby mares are called fillies. But both titles work, and it fitted well. I hope you guys will like it.

Once upon a time, there was a fierce creature known as the Nightmare Queen. Anyone who saw her, would tell you that she was as harsh and terrible as she was beautiful. Anyone who angered her were forced to endure nightmares of the worst kind, and it was well known that she had a frightful temper.  
  
On occasion, it would happen that she was not in such a terrible mood, and she would then be considered to be quite pleasant company. Some people wondered why she couldn't be this nice all the time.  
  
What very few knew, was that the Nightmare Queen had a gaggle of children, in the form of five little fillies, and they were as unruly as only a child of Nightmares can be. They each had their mother's temper, and would shriek and cry with a terrible noise if they did not get their way, often while throwing things or themselves to the floor.  
  
Most days for the Queen was spent trying to do her best to take care of her family, but it was very hard work and often left her unable to get proper rest. And this was why she was often in such a foul mood, because when you get little to no rest, it often leaves you with a very bad attitude.  
  
Once in a while however, a young man or woman seeking their fortune would find the Nightmare Queen's home. They were often very kind and very patient, and would without being asked help the Nightmare Queen take care of her children. And the Nightmare Queen would reward them, with jewelry or an answer to a difficult riddle, because that was the least she could do in return. Those were the nights that left her to be a kind and gentle Queen, rather than the fierce creature that everyone else was afraid of.  
  
Unfortunately, there were often as many bad of these young people, as there were of the good, and the bad ones often had a tendency to make things worse. One day, there came a horrible girl who rather than helping, had been nothing but a hindrance. It got so bad, that the Nightmare Queens children simply ran away, faster than their mother could catch them. When the last little filly had fled, there was nothing left in the girl's opinion to do, and she had the gall to demand a payment in return for all her 'hard work'.  
  
When the Nightmare Queen darkly asked what she wished in return, the girl asked for the answer to a difficult riddle. The Nightmare Queen harshly told her the wrong answer and sent her on her way. She didn't care if the answer was right or wrong. She needed to find her children, who were probably all alone in the woods now. And so she ran to search for them, begging and pleading for them to return. She promised everything, trying to assure that she was not angry, that she just wanted her children to come home. In the end, she ended up sitting at the foot of a dead tree, weeping with sorrow over the loss of her five little fillies.  
  
Now it just so happened then, that there came a traveler through these same woods. He was a little round man named Sanderson Mansnoozie, and he was very much a stranger to these parts of the world. He knew of no Nightmare Queen, or of how everyone was afraid of her because of her temper, nor did he know of her children and how they had all been frightened away.  
  
What he did know, was that he had never liked to see a child that was sad. So when he heard a voice crying, he went to see what it was. And what he found, was what looked like a little crying filly.  
  
“Little filly, little filly, why are you sitting here crying alone?” Sanderson asked gently. The little filly sniffled, and looked up at him sadly.  
  
“I ran away, and now I can't find my way home!” It sobbed.  
  
“Why don't you come with me?” Sanderson then said. “I'll help you find your way.” The little filly came over to him, and Sanderson dried her tears with a handkerchief, and then they were on their way.  
  
Not long after, they heard another voice crying. This belonged to another tiny little filly. She was only a little smaller than the first but crying just as helplessly.  
  
“Little filly, little filly, why are you sitting here crying alone?” Sanderson asked gently.  
  
“I ran away, and now I can't find my way home!” The little filly cried.  
  
“Why don't you come with me?” Sanderson then said. “I'll help you find your way.” And he gently dried the little filly's tears, and they were soon on their way.  
  
Three more little fillies were found crying after this, and each with the same story. All were lost, and couldn't stop crying, and Sanderson felt very sorry for them.  
  
“Why did you run away?” He finally decided to ask. “Won't your parents be worried?”  
  
“That's why we cry.” The first little filly said quietly. “Our mother is the Nightmare Queen, and we only have her.”  
  
“And she works so hard to care for us.” The second little filly chimed in, “but we always make things harder for her.”  
  
“Sometimes others come by and help, but no one ever stays.” The third little filly added, “and we are all so terribly unruly.”  
  
“And then a cruel girl came today!” The fourth little filly said. “And she was so mean, and we saw that this must be how our mother sees us.”  
  
“And so we ran away.” The fifth and littlest filly finished sadly.  
  
“There there,” Sanderson said gently. “Everything will be fine. I am sure that your mother misses you terribly. I promise to help you find your way home, and then you must promise that you do your best to help your mother in the future.”  
  
And with that they were on their way. As they walked, the woods grew darker, but this seemed to cheer up the five little fillies for some reason. And the darker it got, the happier they became.  
  
“I know this way!” The oldest little filly called. “We will be home soon!”  
  
“I remember too!” The second filly said. “I remember these trees!”  
  
“And I remember the path!” The third filly said, rearing up a bit in excitement.  
  
So happy were they, that the five little fillies almost forgot their promise, and were ready to gallop around and about, at least until Sanderson Mansnoozie stopped them, and sternly reminded them of their promise to behave.  
  
They soon arrived at a lovely little house. But Sanderson could see what the five little fillies meant, when they said that their mother had to work hard. Dust and cobwebs hung thick in the windows, there were piles upon piles of dishes in the sink, and mud and toys were all over the floors. What was worse, there was no sign of the Nightmare Queen. The little fillies began to cry again at this, thinking their mother might have abandoned them. But Sanderson calmed them down and dried their tears once more.  
  
“There there, it's going to be all right.” He said gently. “I am certain that your mother is simply out looking for you. Now how about we all begin to help clean up this place? That way your mother will have a nice, clean home to come back to when she returns. And won't that make her happy?”  
  
And so he set each of the little fillies to work, carefully helping each of them with their appointed task until they got the hang of it. Sanderson himself and the littlest of the fillies took care of washing the dishes, and whenever one of the others needed help, Sanderson took the time to help them. And as soon as one little filly had finished her chore, Sanderson would tell her to go help one of her sisters. He did the same, as soon as he and the littlest filly were done with the dishes.  
  
The five little fillies soon managed to finish all of their chores, and when they were done, the house was much cleaner than it had ever been before. Sanderson on his part had started cooking some breakfast and put over some tea. By then, all five little fillies were very hungry, but also very tired.  
  
It was also then, that the Nightmare Queen had finally made her way home. She had been out all night, searching for her little fillies and calling for them, but there had been no sign of them at all. By now she was exhausted, though she still kept calling out for her children.  
  
 _“Little fillies of mine, where have you gone? Little fillies of mine, don't leave me alone!_ ” And her cries could be heard all the way home to the little hut, where all her five little fillies and their new friend could hear her.  
  
“Run along to your mother.” Sanderson told them. “And when you come back, I will have breakfast ready for all of you.”  
  
And again, they heard the cry. “ _Little fillies of mine, where have you gone? Little fillies of mine, don't leave me alone!”_  
  
One by one, the five little fillies hurried out the door. And as they ran, each of them called out to her:  
  
 _“Little mother, have no fear! I am safe, and I am here!”_  
  
And they would run to their mother, who now began to weep out of joy, rather than grief. And she held each of her little fillies close, kissing them and hugging them until they were out of breath.  
  
“Little fillies, little fillies, where have you been?” She then asked, stroking each of them through their manes. “I have searched all night, and you were nowhere to be seen!”  
  
And they told her of their new friend, the little man who had found each of them and lead them home, and how he now was home in their hut cooking breakfast for them, after he had shown them how they could handle chores. And oh it had been so fun, but it was so very tiring, and would it be alright if they could go home now?  
  
The Nightmare Queen listened as they walked home, but simply sighed to herself. Another young man who had come to her home, seeking her fortune, she thought. That this one had found her lost children was going to earn him something extra special, but she was tired from crying and had no idea what she should give him as a reward. Perhaps when they had all had breakfast, she would think of something.  
  
And when they arrived at the hut, they were greeted by the little man. Sanderson's eyes widened at the sight of the Nightmare Queen. She looked so very tired and worn, and he could only feel sorry for her.  
  
“Come, come. Sit down and rest, my lady.” He said kindly. “There is warm breakfast and tea, and that will do you a world of good.” And the Queen, much to her surprise, found herself gently ushered to a chair by the table, while all her little fillies settled down as well.  
  
Sanderson Mansnoozie was not like most seekers of fortune. He darted about, making certain that everyone had plenty of food, and took care of the five little fillies. And their mother could only watch in astonished silence, as her five little fillies politely ate their food quietly, where at other times, even with the more patient and kind fortune seekers, they would always at one point throw a tantrum. But none came, and they all ate their breakfast in peace and quiet.  
  
When everyone, including the Queen, had finished, Sanderson clapped his hands a bit. “I have no doubt that you must all be very tired.” He said. “I will take care of the dishes.  Off to bed with you all.” And the Queen watched, as he gently herded the five little fillies to the bathroom (that just like the rest of the house was oh so sparkly clean now!), where he helped each of the little fillies with brushing their teeth.  
  
As for the queen herself, she felt unable to move. Good food and the ordeals of the night had caught up with her, and she was so very tired. But she felt a gentle touch in the form of Sanderson, as he gently held one of her hands, and looked at her with a kind look in his eyes.  
  
“Milady, won't you come to bed? You look so very tired. Do not worry about the dishes; I'll take care of them for you.” And the Nightmare Queen couldn't get herself to say no, not when he was being so polite.  
  
But first, she went to her childrens rooms, only to find her five little fillies all fast asleep in their beds. They had already been properly tucked in by Sanderson, she realized.  
  
 _'I must find him a proper reward when I wake.'_ She thought idly to herself, as she went to her own rooms to sleep.  
  
When she woke up, she thought it all had been a dream. _When I go downstairs_ , she thought, _I will find my children being rowdy and causing a mess._ But before she could rise and go downstairs to find out, she heard a knock on the door, and Sanderson Mansnoozie came in, carrying a tray of food.  
  
“You must have been very tired.” He told her gently, “because you have slept the whole day and the night along with it. Do not worry, I have looked after your little fillies and they have helped me make breakfast for you as well as themselves. I hope you will enjoy it.” And then he left her alone, before she could say anything.  
  
 _'The more I hear of what he does, the greater a reward he deserves.'_ The Nightmare Queen thought to herself, feeling a bit confused. _'What kind of reward does a man like that deserve?'_  
  
The longer she thought about it, the fewer ideas she had. Most of the young men or women who came to her home stayed for an afternoon, or a day at most, and if asked, they never needed much.  
  
She would do like she did with anyone else, she decided. She would ask him what kind of reward he wished for, in return for his kind services.  
  
What she did not expect, when she finally asked him, was for him to gently take her hand once more, before he looked into her eyes and said:  
  
“Taking care of you, and your five little fillies, is all the reward that I need. If I have to choose, let me continue to do so, until I tire of it on my own. If you will let me.”  
  
“... Very well.” The Nightmare Queen replied, as regally as she could. Because how could one say no to something like that?  
  
And Sanderson stayed for many years. And even as the five little fillies grew into five beautiful mares (who as they grew older each could turn into a woman as beautiful as their mother), he never tired of taking care of them or of his Nightmare Queen.

And if she ever asked him, if there was any reward he would rather have, he would tell her that the greatest reward was being with the Nightmare Queen, and her five little fillies.  
  
 **The End**  
  



End file.
